The Washington Free Beacon has this story up today. New York University’s Law School had previously scheduled a Federalist Society event featuring conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro. But the school decided there was a problem. Shapiro’s visit was likely to result in protests and, even more concerning, the event was booked for 10/7 the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
On September 10, NYU requested that the Federalist Society change the date of Shapiro’s talk, citing the possibility of disruptions.
“For security reasons, and because we anticipate an increased likelihood of demonstrations and protests connected to the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incidents in Gaza, would it be possible to host Mr. Shapiro on another date?” the law school’s director of institutional programming and governance, Penelope Fernandes, wrote to student organizers. “If you can change the date, please let us know.”
Fernandes also recommended hosting the talk in Lipton Hall, a basement space with added security, in order to “minimize disruptions in the event of a protest or demonstration.”
In short, it wouldn’t be safe to have a conservative Jew on campus on 10/7. Too much of a temptation for the expected pro-Hamas activists who will be celebrating the anniversary of the attack.
Also, as several people noticed, why would anyone describe Oct. 7, 2023 as the date on which there were “incidents in Gaza.” This is shades of Ilhan Omar’s “some people did something” in reference to 9/11. Mass murder and kidnapping are not “incidents” and what happened that day happened in Israel.
In any case, organizers agreed to move the location for safety but said 10/7 was the only date Shapiro was available. They added, “we all feel strongly that we should host the event on October 7 to avoid giving in to the heckler’s veto.”
I’m sure most of our readers know the term well but for anyone who doesn’t, the heckler’s veto is a scenario like this where the threat of violence or being shouted down results in the silencing or deplatforming of a speaker.
In this case, the heckler’s veto has prevailed. The school said it simply didn’t have enough security personnel to ensure the safety of an event on that date. Associate dean Megan McDermott made the call.
“After a review of the already great demands on resources and personnel (including but certainly not limited to security personnel) during the week of October 6-10, 2025, I personally made the decision that we could not host your event on campus during that week,” McDermott wrote. “This is not a decision based on the proposed program or speaker but rather based on an obligation to provide enhanced security generally on campus during that week as well as resource commitments we have already made across multiple buildings for public and closed events during the same period.”
There’s really no reason, in my opinion, to accept these explanations at face value. There’s a pretty clear reason this event in particular is being canceled instead of some other commitments that require security. I have no doubt that associate dean McDermott considered how this event could become a flashpoint for illiberal behavior by a mob of activists.
While Shapiro’s planned 1-hour appearance was canceled, other events will continue as planned that same day.
…it is slated to host a seven-hour symposium on “social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and sustainable development” that same day.
Speakers will include Baruch College’s Nizan Geslevich Packin, who has called on banks to advance the “DEI social agenda,” and the University of Missouri’s Evan Absher, who helps design “inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.”
Members of the Federalist Society asked for a meeting with NYU law dean Troy McKenzie where they complained about the obvious double standard. In response, McKenzie denied that the cancelation had anything to do with security and instead claimed the school wasn’t hosting any private events that week because staffers were too busy.
But as the Free Beacon points out, there are four other private events scheduled that week, including another one scheduled by the Federalist Society. It’s only the event with a conservative Jewish legal scholar who has criticized student protesters that can’t be squeezed in.
Something clearly doesn’t add up here. But rather than give into the heckler’s veto, the Federalist Society is expanding the meeting and moving it off campus.
So instead @FedSoc is flying in two federal judges and @TheFIREorg’s Nadine Strossen (former ACLU head) so we can have a little nationally streamed conversation about free speech and antisemitism at a nearby off-campus venue. https://t.co/esejPszBHA
— Ilya Shapiro (@ishapiro) October 1, 2025
So what are the chances that student protesters still target this event?
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